The owner of a vintage clothing store in Reading has slammed the council over rejected signage which could put the whole store at risk of closure.
Flamingos Vintage opened in the town centre in August 2023, stocking a range of American sports branding clothing, denim and attire for men, women and children.
The store also features a kilo sale, where customers can buy clothing by weight.
But the owner of the business is in trouble with Reading Borough Council over signage that was installed when it opened, which was subsequently rejected by the council’s planning department in February 2024.
Robert Phillips, the owner, has already had to lay off one member of staff due to having to spend thousands of pounds replacing the sign.
He said: “They’ve said we can only have a 1.5-2 metre sign, but every other store on Queen Victoria Street has a 20 metre sign.
“We’re at a loss with what to do with Reading council’s planning team.
“If you look at every other sign in the street, its quite ridiculous.
“We paid over £4,000 for the sign, £1,500 for the architect, £600 for the application, and £350 for removal.
“There are stores in Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol and Exeter, but I’m not sure what we’ll do with Reading.
“We want to go to cities which want to welcome us.
“I think this is absurd. It’s been there for three years, all of a sudden they’ve forced us to take it down.”
Planning officer Nathalie Weekes judged that the original sign was a prominent and visually dominant addition which failed to respect
the existing streetscene.
The planning team backed this up by requesting that the signage be replaced.
A council spokesperson said: “Queen Victoria Street features several buildings which are Grade II listed for their historic and architectural significance.
“We would always advise that before making any changes to shop fronts, applicants should check with the planning department to ensure any changes comply with the law so that additional costs are not incurred, which is always a possibility where checks are not made.
“In this instance, the correct permissions were not sought for the original signage, which did not meet with specific requirements for shop signs on listed buildings. Retrospective planning permission was subsequently refused as the signage did not meet the size and design needs of the planning regulations. The case is now closed as they have complied with the request to remove.
“It is important to say there are several cases currently open which relate to signage, not only in the town centre but also on the Oxford Road, London Street and London Road, and officers are actively working with individual businesses.”
You can view the rejected application by typing reference PL/23/0942 into the council’s planning portal.
